Nurses found to be risking their lives driving home after exhausting shifts

Nurses often stay longer than expected to take care of patients (Image: Getty)

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The results of a new study reveals 80 per cent of nurses often can't remember their journey back home after night shifts.

Exhausting night shifts led to the death of two young nurses at the beginning of this month.

Kerrie Browne, 26, and Laurie Jones, 23, lost their lives two days apart from one another while driving back home very early in the morning.

These tragic events rang the alarm about the working condition of NHS healthcare staff, especially those working at night, which NursingNotes investgated.

Nurses have reported feeling 'drunk' when they come back home at night (Image: PAUL GILLIS)

‘Driving home after a night shift is like being on autopilot’

An overwhelming 96% of those surveyed reported they felt ‘stressed’ driving back from work at night.

Some 58% of them revealed they don’t have time to take their allocated break, although required by law.

Dr Michael Farquhar, a Consultant in Sleep Medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Employers have a requirement to provide an uninterrupted break, however, in practice we know that staffing shortages can mean that health and care staff are unable to take breaks, eat or even or drink during their shift.“

23% of nurses have admitted being involved in a car accident as the result of an exhausting night shift (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

‘When I drive home from a night shift I feel like I am drunk.’

Many nurses also described feeling ‘dazed’ and having ‘slower reactions’ on the night road, while 40% of them also admitted falling asleep at the wheel at least once.

Dr Farquhar said: “Working long shifts, often under considerable pressure, inevitably leads to fatigue, especially when that work is being carried out overnight.

“Fatigue not only increases the risk of harm to our patients, but it puts every single member of staff driving home after a long night shift at significantly increased risk of a road traffic accident.

"The levels of fatigue commonly seen after a normal NHS nightshift produce a similar effect on driving as if we are at or over the legal drink-drive limit.”

Despite these scientifically-proven risks, 77% of nurses revealed their employer doesn’t allow them to take a nap.

A fifth of NHS staff admitted this exhaustion has resulted in at least one car accident during their regular drive back home.

“I was driving back from work on the motorway after a stressful day and had an accident, a nurse reported.

“I swerved across the 3 lanes and the hard shoulder, somersaulted onto a trailer”.